Despite statistics from dozens of studies demonstrating the safety of chiropractic treatments, recent news reports have alleged that chiropractic neck adjustments can sometimes be harmful. However, according to a study by the Rand Corporation, a serious adverse reaction from cervical manipulation occurs less than once in 1 million treatments. The study also showed that on the rare occasion of an adverse reaction, it is often the result of the procedure being performed by a health professional who is inexperienced or inadequately trained in spinal manipulation, rather than by a licensed doctor of chiropractic. Other scientific textbooks and reports have estimated the risk to be even more minute; as low as one in 10 million treatments.

To put this number into perspective, the New England Journal of Medicine found complications from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen, are responsible for 16,500 deaths each year. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 2 million Americans become seriously ill every year from negative reactions to drugs that were correctly prescribed and taken; 106,000 Americans die annually from those side effects.